- A Request from the Freedom Movement’s Daily Newspaper: “Each One Reach One”
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Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily - Formula 1 cancels races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia amid Middle East conflict
Source: Politico
“Formula 1 has canceled races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia scheduled for April, as the ongoing war between Iran and the U.S. and Israel disrupts international sports throughout the Middle East. … The grands prix, marquee events at the top of the F1 calendar, were scheduled to be the fourth and fifth races of the season, which kicked off during the first weekend of March in Melbourne. Last year, both were won by Australian driver Oscar Piastri, who rode a strong start in the campaign to a third-place finish in the F1 season standings. Iran targeted both Gulf countries in the early days of the conflict in a retaliatory campaign that saw Tehran take shots at Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus and Israel.” (03/14/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/14/formula-1-cancels-races-middle-east-00829213
- Trinidad and Tobago: Regime extends state of emergency for three months over crime
Source: Seattle Times
“Trinidad and Tobago’s government has received House of Representatives approval to extend a state of emergency for three months, as the twin-island Caribbean nation struggles with a high level of crime. The two motions to extend the measure, which grants the government additional powers, including to make arrests and conduct searches without warrants, were approved in a 26-12 vote late Friday. There were no abstentions. Trinidad and Tobago has spent roughly 10 of the last 14 months under an emergency.” (03/14/26)
- Wine Says He has Left Uganda
Source: US News & World Report
“Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said he has temporarily left the country after two months in hiding in the wake of a presidential election in January that kept long‑time leader Yoweri Museveni in office. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, disputed the outcome of that contest, alleging fraud, and had been in hiding since fleeing his home in Uganda’s capital Kampala. In a five-minute video message posted on X on Saturday, Wine said he had left the country for ‘critical engagements outside Uganda,’ without specifying where he was or what the engagements were. ‘At the right time I will come back and continue with the cause,’ he said. The pop star‑turned‑politician has said his campaign was constrained by security forces blocking his rallies and arresting his supporters.” (03/15/26)
- Libertarian Activist Abducted by Regime Thugs Following Return From Egypt
Source: Independent Political Report
“A libertarian activist from Orlando with a history of volunteering with the Libertarian Party of Florida is being held in federal immigration custody and facing possible deportation to Egypt, according to details shared with Independent Political Report. A friend of Aly who has remained in contact with him during his detention told IPR on Friday that Izzy Aly, also known as Islam Mahmoud Aly, was [abducted] by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on December 22 after arriving at a U.S. airport following a trip to Egypt, where he had traveled to settle matters related to his late father’s estate. … Aly, an Egyptian national who resides in the Orlando area, has been active for several years in libertarian political circles, including by attending meetings of the Libertarian Party of Florida to support the party’s activities.” (03/14/26)
- Pope Leo moves into papal residence eschewed by Pope Francis
Source: ABC News
“Ten months after taking office, Pope Leo XIV on Saturday finally moved into his apartments in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, a historic papal residence that his predecessor had eschewed. … Leo, the first U..S pope, decided to move into the apartments in the wake of his May 8, 2025, election as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. But after being abandoned under the late Pope Francis, who chose a more modest dwelling elsewhere in the Vatican, they required extensive renovation. During the interim, the 70-year-old Leo continued staying at the Palace of the Holy Office, near the Vatican, where he had lived as a cardinal.” (03/14/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-leo-moves-into-historic-papal-apartments/
- Over 100,000 without power as major storm batters Hawaii
Source: SFGate
“A slow-moving storm is battering Hawaii with heavy rain, flash flooding and damaging winds, knocking out power for more than 100,000 Hawaiian Electric customers, including parts of Waikiki. Some streets are also underwater.” (03/14/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/hawaii-storm-flooding-dam-22076847.php
- Trump uses US soldiers killed in his Iran misadventure as fundraising props
Source: CNBC
“President Donald Trump’s political action committee this week sent a fundraising email promising donors ‘private national security briefings’ by the president himself and featuring a photo from the dignified transfer for U.S. service members killed in Kuwait. ‘For the first time ever, I’m opening up spots on the National Security Briefing Membership,’ reads the email, from Trump’s Never Surrender Inc. PAC. … The email includes a black-and-white version of an official photo taken by the White House showing the president in a white ‘USA’ baseball cap saluting a transfer case during the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on March 7. … The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to MS NOW’s request for comment on the fundraising email pegged to the Iran war and what the offers of ‘national security briefings’ would entail.” (03/14/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/14/trump-iran-war-fundraising-us-soldiers.html
- Fl: UF College Republicans Dispute Disbandment Over Antisemitism Allegations
Source: News-USA Today
“The University of Florida (UF) has moved to deactivate its chapter of the College Republicans following allegations of antisemitic conduct by some members. The action was prompted by a request from the Florida Federation of College Republicans (FFCR), though the UF chapter asserts it operates independently under the umbrella of the College Republicans of America. … However, the UF College Republicans chapter disputes the FFCR’s authority over its operations. They claim to be affiliated with the College Republicans of America and have retained legal counsel, alleging that the FFCR has previously attempted to silence Christian conservative groups on campus through similar tactics.” (03/15/26)
https://news-usa.today/uf-college-republicans-dispute-disbandment-over-antisemitism-allegations/
- North Korean regime fires about 10 missiles toward sea in show of force, Seoul regime says
Source: ABC News
“North Korea on Saturday fired about 10 ballistic missiles toward the eastern sea, South Korea’s military said, staging its own show of force as the rival South conducts a joint military exercise with the United States. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, but didn’t immediately say how far they flew. Japan’s Defense Ministry said the weapons landed in waters outside the country’s exclusive economic zone. The South’s Joint Chiefs said the military has stepped up surveillance and is maintaining readiness against possible additional launches while closely sharing information with the U.S. and Japan.” (03/14/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/north-korea-fires-10-missiles-sea-show-force-131061822
- Jürgen Habermas, 1929-2026
Source: Le Monde [France]
“Jürgen Habermas, whose work on communication, rationality and sociology made him one of the world’s most influential philosophers and a key intellectual figure in his native Germany, has died. He was 96. Habermas’[s] publisher, Suhrkamp, said he died on Saturday, March 14, in Starnberg, near Munich. Habermas frequently weighed in on political matters over several decades. His extensive writing crossed the boundaries of academic and philosophical disciplines, providing a vision of modern society and social interaction. His best-known works included the two-volume ‘Theory of Communicative Action.'” (03/14/26)
- Would-be chief US regime censor issues license threat over Iran war coverage
Source: United Press International
“Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, on Saturday issued a threat to broadcasters’ licenses over ‘hoaxes and news distortions — also known as the fake news.’ Carr is the latest member of the Trump administration to weigh in on what it calls false reporting by major news organizations, including news networks, about the two-week old war in Iran. … ‘The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not. And frankly, changing course is in their own business interests since trust in legacy media has now fallen to an all time low of just 9% and are ratings disasters,’ he said.” (03/14/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/03/14/fcc-threat-broadcasters-war-reports/2431773527291/
- Pahlavi says he’s “ready” to serve as US imperial satrap in Iran if US regime will overthrow his opponents for him
Source: Fox News
“Exiled [former] Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said Saturday he is ready to lead Iran’s transition ‘as soon as the Islamic Republic falls.’ As the war in Iran entered its third week, Pahlavi — the son of the late [deposed] Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi — said he has been working in recent months to develop a transition plan should the Iranian regime collapse to ensure the country does not experience a disruption in governance. Pahlavi said in a social media post that ‘capable individuals’ have been identified both inside and outside Iran to lead what he called a ‘transitional system.’ … Pahlavi has lived in exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled Iran’s monarchy and established the Islamic Republic.” (03/15/26)
- Cuba: Protests erupt amid food, energy shortages
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Protesters in central Cuba have torched a local communist party office, as conditions on the island continue to deteriorate under severe restrictions from the United States meant to squeeze the economy. Authorities said on Saturday that five people were arrested amid what the government called ‘vandalism acts’ in the city of Moron. … Protests are relatively rare in Cuba, given the threat of government repression. But in recent weeks, Cubans have expressed growing frustration with food and electricity shortages. Some have taken to banging pots and pans at night — a protest tradition called ‘cacerolazo’ — to express anger over the lack of food. Students, meanwhile, at the University of Havana held a sit-in on Monday after their classes were suspended due to energy restrictions.” (03/14/26)
- Blame Trump
Source: Free Association
by Sheldon Richman“What’s with all the people who are trying to blame someone — you probably know who — other than Trump for the U.S. air war against Iran? Has he no agency? He’s had it in for Iran for a long time and nearly went to war in his first term, setting the stage by tearing up the rigorous (and superfluous) nuclear-inspection deal the Iranian government had entered into with Trump’s immediate predecessor, Barack Obama. (Iran has not tried to make a nuclear weapon, according to U.S. and Israeli intelligence analysis, and the late Iranian leader, Ali Khamenei, had issued a fatwa against such weapons.) … This is Trump’s war. Claiming that Israel is solely responsible and that Trump is a helpless marionette is invidious and could incite horrendous domestic consequences. That prospect should not be taken lightly.” (03/13/26)
- “But Kamala!” Yeah, So What?
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp“‘They told me if I voted for Goldwater in 1964,’ William F. Buckley, Jr. allegedly (but not verifiably) once said, ‘that we’d have more war and higher prices. Well, I did, and we do.’ In the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, supporters of Donald Trump delivered similar dire predictions about voting for Kamala Harris. And in the aftermath? The last two words of the apocryphal Buckley quote ring true as well. For some reason, those who still support Trump seem to think that ‘but Kamala! If SHE’D won, we’d have had [insert list of bad things that have happened since anyway here]!’ is some kind of sick burn on those who preferred the empty pantsuit to the senile reality TV star.” (03/14/26)
- In Space, Regulators Seek To Boldly Go Where No Bureaucrat Has Gone Before
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille“The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) faces delays in meeting its schedule for returning to the Moon, according to a new report by the agency’s inspector general. Nevertheless, the project moves forward and remains largely within its budget — a testament to the abilities of SpaceX and Blue Origin, the two private companies participating. In fact, space exploration is largely a private effort these days, with profit-seeking firms developing not just launch capability but also technology for mining Earth’s natural satellite. Unfortunately, opening new commercial opportunities — even in the depths of outer space — is like ringing the dinner bell for bureaucrats and would-be regulators.” (03/13/26)
- Russia Wins the War on Iran
Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Snider“Nobody wins at war. In the war on Iran, fought without legal justification and without good reason, bringing devastation to lives, the economy, international law, and the environment, there are certainly no winners. But, though there are no winners in the long run, if there is one country that benefits in the short run, it is Russia.” (03/14/16)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/russia-wins-the-war-on-iran/
- Most Americans oppose Trump’s war — with one glaring exception
Sourc: USA Today
by Chris Brennan“Trump campaigned in 2024 for a second term on promises of ending foreign wars and improving America’s economy. And now he’s done the complete opposite. In fact, Trump has done exactly what he claimed President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris would do if they held onto the White House. A March 12 CNN summary of recent public opinion polling about the war in Iran shows that a majority of Americans oppose it, though voters are divided along party lines, with Democrats and independents far more likely to not support the war and Republicans more likely to support it. But MAGA, a populist movement allegedly built on an urge for American isolationism and an aversion to regime change and nation building abroad, has effortlessly dumped those supposed principles and flip-flopped into a rabid band of war-hungry neocons.” (03/15/26)
- Students and AI: Mastery, not misuse
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“It took several decades for students’ individual computer access to become the norm in American schools. But it’s taken only about three years for the share of students using artificial intelligence in school assignments to go from zero to 84%. At the same time, according to a 2025 report by the College Board, only 13% of schools encouraged using such generative AI in all their classes, while 1 in 5 had no policies governing its use. Educators are racing to keep pace with and use AI in ways that safeguard students’ educational interests and support vibrant classroom relationships. There is concern about repeating what some see as the ‘mistakes’ of having allowed students unlimited access to phones and social media. But blanket restrictions on AI in schools could be counterproductive, given that it infuses almost every aspect of daily commerce and communication – and is also shaping emerging career paths.” (03/13/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0313/Students-and-AI-Mastery-not-misuse
- Marco Rubio Gets Western Civilization’s Defining Feature All Wrong
Source: The UnPopulist
by Francis Fukuyama“Liberal Enlightenment principles, not Christian faith, became the West’s lasting identity.” (03/14/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/marco-rubio-gets-western-civilizations
- How to Bring Starter Homes Back from Extinction
Source: Cato Institute
by staff“If you want to understand why the American starter home seems to have gone extinct, don’t look at greedy developers, rapacious investors or discriminating banks. Look at the government policies that make building these homes all but impossible. New research puts hard numbers on one part of the problem — and they’re staggering.” (03/13/26)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/how-bring-starter-homes-back-extinction
- Israel And Its Supporters Are Causing Attacks On Jewish Institutions
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt gave a bizarre appearance on CNN in response to an attempted car bombing of a Michigan synagogue by a man whose Lebanese family members were killed by Israeli forces: ‘We are seeing Jewish people, the Jewish state, blamed for the war in the Middle East. That is wrong. It is wrong to scapegoat, it is wrong to hold Jewish people accountable for something you don’t like on the other side of the planet.’ … at first glance it this might read like Greenblatt is taking the entirely reasonable position that it is wrong to blame Jewish Americans for the actions of the Israeli government. But take a closer look at his use of the phrase ‘the Jewish state.'” [editor’s note: The cause of an attack is the attacker and the attacker’s intent, full stop. The Israeli regime is responsible for its actions and its actions only – TLK](03/14/26)
- Why Dems Keep Saying Trump Has “No Plan” Instead of Calling to End the War With Iran
Source: The Intercept
by Adam Johnson“By rallying behind process-based critiques, the Democrats are refusing to stand against the war on moral grounds.” (03/13/26)
https://theintercept.com/2026/03/13/iran-war-democrats-schumer-jeffries/
- The Trump War Glossary: What He *Really* Means About Iran
Source: The Bulwark
by Will Saletan“Keeping up with Mr. ‘I Have the Best Words’ as he twists the English language.” (03/13/26)
- In War, the Enemy Always Gets a Vote
Source: The Atlantic
by Philips Payson O’Brien“When Trump went to war with Iran, he made the same assumption that Vladimir Putin had in invading Ukraine four years earlier. Each believed that his nation’s superior weaponry and military experience would crush any opposition that the target government could muster. … Initially, the air campaign achieved everything Trump could have hoped for. The U.S. and Israel quickly gained air supremacy over Iran and now have the ability to hit almost any target they choose. They succeeded in killing much of Iran’s top leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Yet ever since, the limits of Trump’s ability to control the situation have become clearer and clearer.” (03/13/26)
- How a first-grader taught her school district and a federal judge about free speech
Source: The Hill
by Jonathan Turley“In March 2021, California principal Jesus Becerra was confronted by a clear and present threat to his school. Standing before him was the culprit — a student apparently so dangerous that Becerra had to act without delay to protect the entire Viejo Elementary School in the Capistrano Unified School District. The little girl is known only as B.B. in federal filings, but her actions were so heinous that a parent alerted Becerra to take all necessary action. Beccera showed B.B. the incriminating evidence: a picture of children holding hands with the words ‘any life’ written under ‘Black Lives Matter.'” (03/14/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/5783916-california-principal-threat-black-lives/
- The despicable disgrace of the “call off the war” crowd
Source: New York Post
by staff“We’d like to believe that the negative coverage of the Iran war so rampant in the media is simply more Trump Derangement Syndrome, but it’s plainly also about how the president’s firm actions expose how pathetically the same elites applauded President Barack Obama’s misbegotten Middle East policies, and not just his sad nuclear deal with Tehran. To simplify things, consider The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, the dean of elite liberal political analysis, who’s actively sneering at the joint US-Israeli effort to defang an entity that for five decades has called them ‘The Great Satan’ and ‘The Little Satan.’ … the two nations took out Tehran’s nuclear program last year, as it was weeks from producing usable weapons, and they’ve acted before it could rebuild its defenses and offensive conventional forces to shield it as it recovered that capability.” [editor’s note: Are unlimited hallucinogens a formally codified office benefit at the Post, or is their use during work hours merely tolerated? … – TLK] (03/13/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/03/13/opinion/the-despicable-disgrace-of-the-call-off-the-war-crowd/
- Hollywood’s Hellscape
Source: Law & Liberty
by Joseph Holmes“This year’s Oscars give Americans few reasons to have hope for the future.” (03/13/26)
- How Trans Activism Became So Radical
Source: Persuasion
by Jamie Paul“The trans movement won the lottery. Then they lost it all.” (03/13/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/how-trans-activism-became-so-radical
- Questions for Markwayne Mullin
Source: The Watch
by Radley Balko“Kristi Noem has been the worst head of Homeland Security in the department’s 20-year history, and it really isn’t even close. Her tenure was marked by reckless abuse of power, brazen lying and disinformation, white supremacist propaganda, and shameless corruption. Prior to Noem, we had never seen a cabinet official shoot a propaganda/weird fetish video from a foreign prison known for torture and abuse. Prior to Noem, we’d …. never seen a cabinet official celebrate the illegal killing of unarmed U.S. citizens. … Trump’s nominee to replace Noem is Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a mixed-martial-arts fighter turned plumber turned politician. Mullin is probably best known for challenging a witness at an oversight hearing to a fight, jamming his fingers into the nostrils of sleeping colleagues and their spouses, and projecting so much masculinity that he requires the names of two men.” (03/13/26)
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/questions-for-markwayne-mullin
- Time to Grow Out of “Playing War”
Source: Common Dreams
by Robert C Koehler“Boys will be boys. Just ask the president. At a gathering of Republicans a few days ago, Donald Trump talked nonchalantly about the recent sinking of an apparently unarmed Iranian frigate by the US Navy — in the Indian Ocean, more than 2,000 miles from the Persian Gulf. A total of 104 crew members were killed and 32 more were injured. The president proceeded to make this more than merely another brutal, pointless act of war. He turned it into a glaring (shocking) revelation of truth … about the American-Israeli war on Iran and, quite possibly about all wars: about war itself.” [editor’s note: “That enemy warship, headed toward the theater of operations, was ‘apparently unarmed,’ may be the dumbest claim I’ve seen from either side of the debate over this conflict – TLK] (03/14/26)
- Is Trump Building “Concentration Camps?” These Experts Have No Doubts
Source: The Contrarian
by Tim Dickinson“Donald Trump’s brutal ICE detention facilities have been blasted as ‘concentration camps.’ This is a freighted term — summoning more than a century of deplorable history. But experts in the field have no hesitation in using these words to describe the network of facilities that the federal government is using to literally warehouse tens of thousands of immigrants — men, women, and even children — snatched out of their communities by masked federal agents.” (03/13/26)
https://www.contrariannews.org/p/is-trump-building-concentration-camps
- Examination Systems
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman“For well over a thousand years, the civil service of Imperial China, the officials who ran the empire, was principally selected from those who had successfully passed through a series of ferociously competitive exams. Passing the first level gave one the rank of licentiate, which carried with it status and the right to take the second level of exams. Passing the second (‘provincial’) provided a significant chance of eventual appointment to office as well as the opportunity to take the third level of exam (‘metropolitan’). Passing the third level was a near guarantee of official appointment. … It may have occurred to you that Imperial China is not the only society whose elite members are expected to qualify for high-status positions by studying for, and passing, exams on subjects having little or nothing to do with the positions they are qualifying for.” (03/14/26)
- The Enemy Is Power, Wherever You Find It
Source: Liberalism.org
by Matt Zwolinski“Concentrations of power are a danger, and a liberal society must reckon with them wherever they occur.” (03/13/26)
https://www.liberalism.org/p/the-enemy-is-power-wherever-you-find-it
- America needs immigrants as much as they need liberty’s blessings
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will“Two dissimilar government agencies have inadvertently combined to clarify the immigration debate. Stomach-turning excesses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement have turned many Americans’ abstract political preference into something uncomfortably concrete. And the Census Bureau has demonstrated that the nation needs immigrants as much as they need the blessings of American liberty.” (03/13/26)
- Warsh: The Fed Helped Create Fiscal Dominance
Source: The Daily Economy
by William J Luther“For decades, economists have warned about the risk of fiscal dominance. Over the past year, the topic has graduated to news headlines. At first glance, the US’s deteriorating fiscal situation appears to be the culprit. Kevin Warsh sees it differently: fiscal dominance is an outgrowth of Federal Reserve actions that enabled profligate federal spending, led the Fed to stray from its monetary mission, and ultimately undermined Fed independence. In other words: the problem of fiscal dominance is actually one of monetary policy run amok.” (03/13/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/warsh-the-fed-helped-create-fiscal-dominance/
- Why Does the Division of Labor Matter?
Source: EconLog
by Brianne Wolf“The division of labor increases production and makes it more efficient by dividing the separate tasks of making an object among different individuals and thereby simplifying the job each person must perform. On the economic side of things, this innovation that Smith recognized helped spark the Industrial Revolution, and was a precursor to comparative advantage …. As part of Gen Z, the generation of side hustles and multitasking, my students should appreciate the division of labor more than most, and yet when I think about most of them, the marvel that is the division of labor — that we don’t have to make each and every thing we use in our daily lives from start to finish ourselves or pay the price for someone else to do this — is lost on them.” (03/13/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/why-does-the-division-of-labor-matter
- How Shapiro became a squatter and got sued by his neighbors
Source: Fox News
by Jonathan Turley“The poet Robert Frost once said that ‘good fences make good neighbors.’ He apparently never met Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is being sued by his neighbors for effectively squatting on their land and then seizing it to install a fence along his $830,500 private residence in suburban Philadelphia. The litigation is likely to put Shapiro in a much different light for many who think of him as a 2028 contender. The irony of the case is crushing. Shapiro opposed Trump’s plan to build a wall along the southern border, declaring that he would sue before a dime of Pennsylvania money would go to pay for it. He apparently adopted a similar approach to his neighbors in Pennsylvania. The difference is that he built the wall, but without giving his neighbors a dime.” (03/14/26)
- Proposition 13 Isn’t Enough: Abolish Property Taxes in California
Source: Independent Institute
by Kristian Fors“2026 has reignited debates about Proposition 13, with a new measure designed to ‘save’ the 1978 proposition. While Prop. 13 has been an immense benefit to incumbent longtime property owners, it is fundamentally unfair to new property buyers, especially with California’s sky-high property values. The solution to this problem is not to reward property owners based on how long they have been here, but instead to abolish property taxes for everyone.” (03/13/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/03/13/abolish-property-taxes-in-california/
- Trump’s war is a gift to Iran’s hardliners
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Emad Khatami“Given the Islamic Republic’s internal dynamics, war could produce the opposite of what many expect. Rather than weakening the regime, the war may strengthen its most committed supporters — the ideological networks often labeled ‘hardliners’ in Western media — while marginalizing the broader political middle, inside and outside the system, that favors non-violent and gradual change. The Islamic Republic has long relied on a relatively small but highly committed constituency that sees the survival of the system as a political and even moral duty.” (03/13/26)
- The Sludging of Rural America
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Paula Yockel“[E]ach year, as our primary means of sewage disposal, millions of tons of toxic sewage sludge, labeled as ‘biosolids,’ are spread as agricultural fertilizer across our nation’s farmland, where rural Americans call home. I know this because my family lived it, and it made us very sick. We had to leave our home to save our health. The unthinkable illnesses my family suffered motivated me to seek independent facts. After all, we had authorities at every level telling us that this practice was safe, but our experience told us otherwise. What we uncovered in our testing and research — including the statistically significant increased relative risk of disease in a community where sludge is used on farmland — left us no option but to take action.” (03/13/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-sludging-of-rural-america/
- The Inevitability of Self-Driving Cars
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Stephen Weese“In the US, we love our cars. Nearly 92% of households have access to a motor vehicle. We have car shows, car racing, car dealerships everywhere, and even TV shows about cars. It’s an accepted part of our society. In a geographically expansive country like ours, cars are essential for many. Along with car culture, we also have a cultural acceptance of the dangers and even fatalities that come from car accidents. The US (human) accident rate is approximately 2,000 per million miles driven. Around 40,000 people are killed each year in auto accidents. … What if we could reduce the number of injuries and fatalities to 50% of what they are now? Or even further, what about 80%? Would it be worth it to switch to self-driving cars then? Interestingly enough, preliminary numbers from Waymo indicate that they already are 80% safer.” (03/13/26)
https://fee.org/articles/the-inevitability-of-self-driving-cars/
- The Christianism Of The Left
Source: The Weekly Dish
by Andrew Sullivan“Meet James Talarico, the next generation’s religious crusader for woke illiberalism.” (03/13/26)
https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-christianism-of-the-left-f59
- Government Doesn’t Collect Too Little, It Spends Too Much
Source: Cato Institute
by Veronique de Rugy“When tax rates rise, taxpayers work less, shelter their money and invest differently, compressing the tax base until the yield reverts to its historical equilibrium.” (03/13/26)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/govt-doesnt-collect-too-little-it-spends-too-much
- Brian Schatz’s Signals of Comfort With Big Money
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen“As my colleague Bob Kuttner explains, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) have moved through a bipartisan housing bill supported by President Trump that if signed would represent the most (only?) progress of the second Trump term. The bill passed 89-10, reflecting awareness that housing affordability is a critical subject to loosen public anger over an economy that doesn’t work for most of them. The bill mostly adds funding to build housing, tackles land use rules, and lifts restrictions on manufactured housing that could lower costs of construction. But on Wednesday, there was apparently only one provision worth talking about on the shambling mound that used to be Twitter: a requirement that investment companies that build single-family homes in order to rent them out (a strategy that has advanced over the past decade known as ‘build-to-rent’) and have over 350 properties sell them after seven years of rent collection.” (03/13/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/03/13/brian-schatz-comfort-with-big-money/
- It’s Already a World War
Source: CounterPunch
by John Feffer“World War III will not start with an exchange of nuclear weapons. It won’t ignite from the jostling of great empires. Nor will it result from a single madman (or two) bent on taking over the world. It won’t be any of those things because World War III has already begun. The current global conflagration began not with the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran. It began with the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. This blatant land grab was not only a massive war crime. Russian President Vladimir Putin also had another target in mind: the rules-based order.” (03/13/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/03/13/its-already-a-world-war/
- The Nazi Philosopher Behind the Postliberal Right
Source: Independent Institute
by Phillip W Magness“[F]or all its posturing as a conservative sea change, postliberal theory has more in common with Bush-era foreign policy than it cares to admit (as we are now seeing in Iran). The main intellectual link comes in the person of Carl Schmitt, an eccentric German legal theorist from the early 20th century. Once a leading conservative academic figure in the Weimar Republic, Schmitt fell into disrepute after 1933 when he joined the Nazi Party and wrote the legal justifications for Hitler’s seizure of power. Schmitt’s involvement with Nazism rightfully wrecked his postwar academic career, yet he managed to retain a stream of academic interlocutors who saw flashes of brilliance, or at least provocative insight, in his writings on constitutional theory.” (03/13/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/03/13/the-nazi-philosopher-behind-the-postliberal-right/
- The Monster and the Critics
Source: Law & Liberty
by Titus Techera“For all its expensive artistry, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein adaptation lacks the moral core that would make it a truly great film.” (03/13/26)
- Unattended Baggage, episode 332
Sourc: Unattended Baggage
“What did you THINK was gonna happen?” (03/14/26)
https://unattendedbaggage.substack.com/p/episode-332-what-did-you-think-was
- The Lou Perez Podcast, 03/14/26
Source: Lions of Liberty
“Taking Down Ticketmaster w/ Tommy Dorfman.” (03/14/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/tlpp-taking-down-ticketmaster-w-tommy-dorfman
- The Bulwark Podcast, 03/13/26
Source: The Bulwark
“JD Vance Knows the Iran War Is a Disaster — But Can’t Say It (w/ Tom Nichols) | The Bulwark Podcast.” (03/13/26)
- The Good Fight, 03/14/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Adrian Wooldridge on the Lost Genius of the Political Center.” (03/14/26)
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 03/14/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Trump Demands Iran’s UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.” (03/14/26)
- AI Summer, 03/14/26
Source: AI Summer
“Joel Becker on METR’s famous time horizons chart.” (03/14/26)
- The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 03/14/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Government Didn’t Build This | Ruminant.” (03/14/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/government-didnt-build-this-ruminant/
- NPR Politics Podcast, 03/13/26
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“Democrats had record turnout in Texas’[s] Senate primary. Can they flip the seat?” (03/13/26)
- Environment and Climate News Podcast, episode 858
Source: Heartland Institute
“Space Mirrors to Save Solar Power?” (03/13/26)
https://heartland.org/podcasts/space-mirrors-to-save-solar-power-the-climate-realism-show-194/
- CounterPunch Radio, 03/13/26
Source: CounterPunch
“Zionist Expansion w/ Sam Kimball.” (03/13/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/03/13/zionist-expansion-w-sam-kimball/
- Today’s News, With Michael Tracey, episode 1
Source: Racket News
“Conspiretardation.” (03/13/26)
https://www.racket.news/p/new-podcast-todays-news-with-michael
- Rising, 03/13/26
Source: The Hill
“Ayatollah: Strait of Hormuz will remain closed as oil prices rise! Lindsey Granger.” (03/13/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5774566-rising-march-13-2026/
- Half the Answer, episode 71
Source: Liberal Currents
“Caitlin and Trent talk with Aurelien Mondon about his recent political science paper outlining the limitations of considering all politics through the lens of ‘polarization.'” (03/13/26)
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 03/13/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Outbursts Over Oil Shock Go Off Rails as His Aides Quietly Panic.” (03/13/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/207723/trump-outbursts-oil-shock-go-off-rails-aides-quietly-panic
- Galaxy Brain, 03/13/26
Source: The Atlantic
“Why Is It So Hard to Make a Good Weather App?” (03/13/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/03/why-is-it-so-hard-to-make-a-good-weather-app/686362
- The Headlines, 03/13/26
Source: New York Times
“Trump Removes Sanctions on Russian Oil, and Chatbots Want Your Health Records.” (03/13/26)
- The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan, 03/13/26
Source: The Weekly Dish
“Eli Lake On Israel And The Iran War.” (03/13/26)
https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/eli-lake-on-israel-and-the-iran-war
- Shaiel Ben-Ephraim on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“A Look Inside Israel During the War with Iran.” (03/13/26)
- Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 03/13/26
- Serious Trouble, 03/13/26
Source: Serious Trouble
“The Customs Service says its computers won’t let it refund IEEPA tariffs (yet); Smartmatic claims selective prosecution; Nippon Life sues OpenAI because ChatGPT is bad lawyer.” (03/13/26)
https://www.serioustrouble.show/p/you-cant-stop-the-computer